October 2009
27 posts
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“Slow Burn Treason” - by Holly Miranda
So CMJ was the coolest thing to happen that I forgot was gonna happen since the ‘08 free Veggie BBQ FrisbeeFest on campus. And I’m leaving for an environmental conference before it even really gets started.
I saw A Million Years, The Black Taxi, April Smith & The Great Picture Show, and Amber Rubarth. Just a lot of epic talent.
But who I DIDN’T expect to see was Holly Miranda. By chance I got off work early and went home, saw on twitter that this was happening and RAN back to Pianos where she owned it in the way only a complete natural can. This one’s born to do this.
I first saw Holly during a random soundcheck at a gig I was working in July and since then have been SMITTEN. She has a voice that belongs in a 30s jazz club and the songwriting chops that the lovechild of Thom Yorke and Cat Power might have. She is also one of the nicest, most chillax people you will meet or have banter at you from stage.
maybe - a fable
The Parable of the Farmer
(original link)Once upon a time a peasant had a horse. This horse ran away,so the peasant’s neighbours came to console him for his bad luck. He answered: “Maybe”.
The day after the horse came back, leading 6 wild horses with it. The neighbours came to congratulate him on such good luck. The peasant said: “Maybe”.
The day after, his son tried to saddle and ride on one of the wild horses, but he fell down and broke his leg. Once again the neighbours came to share that misfortune. The peasant said: “Maybe”.
The day after, soldiers came to conscript the youth of the village, but the peasant’s son was not chosen because of his broken leg. When the neighbours came to congratulate, the peasant said again: “Maybe”.
One of my favorite fables, this is Taoist in origin. Because what do we know anyway?
CD Baby DIY Musician Podcast - #071: Allison Weiss - The Kickstarter effect →
cdbabypodcast.com
RADNESS! Hehe, I love this podcast, and surprise surprise Ms. Weiss is on it.
Check me out on the CD Baby DIY musician podcast, talking about Kickstarter and Twitter and The Internet and promotion in general. This is one of my favorite podcasts… so it’s kind of a dream come true that they interviewed me! Go listen!
insomniac movie theater
4:27 AM. Right now I can’t sleep because my life in the last 3 months has made me feel like this:
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um and some Jane Austen and cinematography for good measure
(Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich and Nighthawks by Edward Hopper and Indy.)
“The DSM-IV is like the Joy of Cooking in our family.”
—
My mom.
Yup.
“Well. That’s the salt in the pepper. It keeps it from getting too vanilla.”
—Carlos, 12:24 AM, on the local N train as fellow in a nice leather jacket stuffed with who knows what bounced back and forth between doors trying to escape the way Jim Carrey might.
et al
Pizza is good for song workshopping. And trumpet solos sometimes bring songs you thought were dead back to life.
“Eat more fruit, play music, write stuff down.”
—
Advice Nick gave me after New Years that I did actually write down.
Is it really halfway through October?
“Mrs. Hopewell excused this attitude because of the leg (which had been shot off in a hunting accident when Joy was ten). It was hard for Mrs. Hopewell to realize that her child was thirty-two now and that for more than twenty years she had had only one leg. She thought of her still as a child because it tore her heart to think instead of the poor stout girl in her thirties who had never danced a step or had any normal good times. Her name was really Joy but as soon as she was twenty-one and away from home, she had had it legally changed. Mrs. Hopewell was certain that she had thought and thought until she had hit upon the ugliest name in any language. Then she had gone and had the beautiful name, Joy, changed without telling her mother until after she had done it. Her legal name was Hulga.”
—
From Good Country People by Flannery O’Connor.
Because sometimes I stay in on a Friday as an experiment to “pamper myself” and find myself not actually relaxing but in upswing-downsing-I-swing-you-swing, stopped only by a rowdy author or a marathon of Benson & Stabler tackling pedophiles.
“I was like woooh! Brooklyn, Go Hard! Except…I was living in Manhattan.”
—Christine, explaining to Josh fresh from Massachusetts about the first stage of moving to New York City.
fun with history!
This is what I did at work today. I am also wearing three layers and a headband indoors.
At least he went fast:
If I was in the Roach family I’d change my last name.Rives, Christopher. Killed by lightning at Sussex, Va„ July 16, 1772.
Roach, Nicholas, of Salem, on board a British prison ship at St. Lucia, issue Jan 28. 1782
Roach,———, a carpenter, by a fall from a scaffold while shingling a house. Sept 11, 1766.
Roach, Richard, executed at New York, Feb 17, 1753.
I caught the ear flu, now, give me the couch.
In documenting my day to day life this might become an accidental music blog. But whatevs. I’ll post my dissertation on post-imperialism and its impact on modern terrorism later.
I’ve been to so many free shows this week by virtue of singing backup for people or being on guests lists or knowing musicians. I have a kink in my neck that I swear is from weird postures at venues in conjunction with footstomping, or just flailing whatever free limb I had available.
Now here’s everyone who’s amazing, GO LISTEN TO THEM NOW.
The Most Serene Republic (that time Marc found them a trombone…)
Flanagan Smith (who always makes me happy and sing with him about how hard times come again no more and could make a church rowdy)
Rachel Browne (their new album is coming out very soon produced by guitarist Andrew Futral of Age of Rockets, and their drummer Christina is a pizza aficionado, and in search of said pizza I almost pulled over a DJs laptop. That was sad. The pizza was good.)
Jess Hodge (Jess and I celebrated our friend-iversary on her 1 year in New York mark. We sang “loving cup” because we are elegant young ladies.)
like, mountains (sometimes people you kind-of-know play shows directly after other people you REALLY know but didn’t know this was happening in the first place and are all surprised and then you stay and hoot and holler and afterwards you know everyone a little better. See, world peace and PBRs.)
Hailey Wojcik (this was at the Cross Pollination show run by my buddy Wesley Verhoeve. Wes pointed out she wore awesome red pants and we were all compelled to yell at her about them. I hope she forgives us.)
Julie Peel (sometimes you meet people at other friends shows and they are actually really talented and write catchy songs and you end up having an escapade with them a few nights later. And for the record Sidewalk Cafe is utterly bizarre after midnight on weekdays. Every time. It’s the actual Twilight Zone.)
Christine Hoberg (sometimes you get a free show on someone’s bed before they go on tour)
Langhorne Slim (thanks to the good folks at The Music Slut )
Annnnnnd, since I was a good history major who believes in proper citation, I think you should know these people have other important blogs and stuff: rachelbrowne, juliepeel & thebedroomsessions, jesshodge, wesleyverhoeve, andrewfutral (of age of rockets & field mouse), Mike Multari (of the Imaginary friends and other lofty things), Christina Picciano (of field mouse and other punkish things)
Alright. Ok.
“I mean, like, a proper chill. Like, you know, when was the last time you chilled properly?”
—Girl at Walgreens on her plans for the future. The weekend future.
Mostly serene, otherwise stormy
Saw the Most Serene Republic at Southpaw tonight with my friend Marc. They had their equipment stolen in Vancouver, and he was able to secure them a trombone for their stop in Brooklyn. We compared maps of how we know people, and he made a bubble chart explained the winding Canadian/New York music scene that connected trombone to band in need. TMSR are amazing, lovely folks backstage, and a real storm of a sound live, with a wild knack for layering instruments and complex beats. I was stunned. They seized 5th Ave for their territory for all I care. GO SEE THEM.
Then to get home, I walked 3/4 of a block. I should have gone in my pajamas.
